Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-23
STRANGE PHENOMENA.

! NOuuitsOu Oh q GentIGm0n
Charged with Electricity.
goat one time it was very hard for me
to believe. indeed. that any person liv-
ing possessed such power as being
able to shuttle across the carpet of a
room and light the gas as it issued
from the jet of the burner by simply
touching it with the tip of one finger.
have at present, however, two
friends. at least. among my acquaint-
ances who seem to be capable of per-
! forming this feat at all times and under
/ any circumstances. Now l find SINH
lar phenomena exhibited to a very
high degree in my own person. at Fort
Wingate here. This point is over six
thousand feet above sea level: the only
water in the neighborhood is small
pond-a puddle, really-and few in
significant springs. The air is usually
clear and highly rarefied: indeed. all
the conditions seem to be favorable to
the exhibition of electrical appear
ances.
''Only the other day, while pacing
my room. passing as l did so. each
time. over large wooden Navajo
blanket that lay spread out on the
, floor, a circumstance arose which
called upon me to touch the cast-iron
urn that ornamented the top Of small
wood-stOve in the apartment, and
which had fire in it at the time. Be-
fore the tip of my index finger touched
it. by distance of fully centimeter.
there was displayed in the intervening
space brilliant electric flash, accom-
panied by report that could be dis
! tinctly heard in the adjoining room
above ordinary conversation. The ex.
pertinent was repeated three or four
times. but the display became more
and more feeble with each trial; it re-
tanned its original force. however, after
l paced across the blanket on the floor
few times. Additional experimental
ton went to show that this electrical
discharge was considerably greater
from the tip of the index finger than
from any Of the others of the hand.
and gradually diminished in regular
order as we proceeded to the little fin-
ger. and. further, it seemed in my case,
more evident in the left index rather
than in the right one. When all ten
finger-tips were drawn together and
then brought up to within cent?
meters distance Of this stove-urn, the
flash and report appeared no greater
than it did from the index finger alone.
lat times, apparently depending
upon the meteorological conditions,
my entire system seems to become
thoroughly charged with this animal
electricity, and most small objects
cackle and snap as handle them, leav-
ing, as night draws near, IN uncom-
Portable, aching sensation in my arm
and extending more or less down my
side. During these same times. should
my wife take any small object from my
hand. as the draughting pen Or The
sponge glass upon which such 4 pen is
cleaned. an electrical report follows
the contact that can be distinctly heard
throughout large room. On the 9th
err hand. l had occasion to examine an
injury of the back in young mulatto
girl Of about fifteen years Of age few
days ago. when. with my right hand
resting on her shoulder and my left
making the required examination there
instantly followed for me a sense Of the
most profound relief. rs if it were that
all the electricity in my system had
been completely withdrawn by the act
This girl. during a stay of nearly three
years ut Fort Wingate, had never been
conscious Of any electrical phenomena
associated with herself similar to those
which have experienced. Previous to
coming here l had resided about
year in Washington. where had never
observed such exhibitions. SO far as my
own person was concerned. and they
only gradually developed at this place
Fort Wingate IN. N. Cor. Science.
NOTES ON DRAINAGE.
whr n Sv.tem ar Pa. tiAl DRAMA &c n Saf